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Corporate downsizing, an unstable economy and an abundance of
entrepreneurial spirit across the land have all been said to fuel
the growth of small business in recent years. But perhaps
there's another culprit: coffee.

According to a 1995 survey conducted by Cleveland-based banking
company KeyCorp, entrepreneurs in business for five years or less
drink more coffee than their peers who have been in business
longer. In fact, the survey found that-gulp!-37 percent of those in
business five years or less drink five or more cups each day. Only
29 percent of business owners operating 6 to 20 years, and 24
percent owning businesses 21 years or longer, drink that much of
the brown brew.

Why the abundance of java junkies among fledgling entrepreneurs?
Some avow that the long hours and high stress compel novice
business owners to crave the stimulation of caffeine coursing
through their veins. And many, including Ted Lingle, executive
director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, aren't
the slightest bit surprised about the recent findings.
"Historically, coffee has been a productivity
stimulator," Lingle asserts. "When entrepreneurs are
starting out, they have to make a lot of things happen in a hurry.
They need to be in peak performance mode-and coffee gets them
there."

So if you thought getting your business off the ground was your
most challenging feat to date, meet your next challenge: kicking
your new-found caffeine addiction!